The UK perspective

Rating: 9/10 (8 October 2002)

Rating: TBC (lets face it, its an 18 and then some) Stars: Mainly unknowns, and Christopher Eccleston Theme: Horror/Sci-Fi/Drama Language/Nudity/Violence: Very bad language, huge amounts of violence (once sexual) When Hollywood made The Beach they gave it the usual Hollywood spin. 28 Days later is what happens when you actually let Alex Garland write the screenplay. Set in a quasi post-apocalyptic world, a virus has been let loose on an unprepared public by ill-judging but well meaning animal rights activists. It is made perfectly clear in the prologue that this is not a film for the weak of heart, or even the moderate of heart. And even the strongest stomachs can expect to be tested.
The Vanilla Sky sequence around a deserted London is one of the creepiest things you will have ever seen on screen. Not only will it encourage the tension and dread that the film is trying to draw out of its unsuspecting audience but it will force you to try and work out how on earth they managed to shut the entire city down. Until this point the movie has been relatively slow, but this is all about to change as the story really kicks off. It would be unfair to the film to reveal much more of the plot after this point, and even more unfair to the potential audience.
The cast is made up of unknowns and faces that you are sure you have seen before somewhere, but just can't place. Whether this confusion was intentional in the casting or not I'm not sure, but it certainly enhances the overall sense of displacement. Christopher Eccleston's appearance later in the film awards him with the entrance that all actors would like. Unfortunately he spends most of his role looking slightly embarrassed about being in such a trivial movie, only once enjoying himself as he torments a captive. There will not be any best actor Oscars winging their way to the cast of this movie, but they're acting ability isn't really what the movie is about. They are all perfectly acceptable as their characters, with Jimmy being the standout performance. This is a mood movie that is designed to mess with you head but not allow you enough time to work out the answers.
28 Days Later is essentially I high budget, intelligent and deeply scary horror film in the vain of many a 1950s B movie. This is not Eight Legged Freaks (Arach Attack), but comparisons could be made. It is darker, less humorous (although not devoid of humour), and definitely British. The main difference between this and the last decade worth of horror movies is just how possible it really is. This is not a spoilt brat slasher or alien invasion movie, this is a tangible danger that is no leap of imagination to consider real.
Mark: 9/10
Who to go with: Someone big and strong to hide behind.